Sewerage from a house or business normally flows away from the property to a sewer main located in a street through a pipe generally referred to as a lateral. Occasionally the lateral backs up due to a blockage in the line between the house and the main. Various ways and means of freeing or clearing the blockages in the sewer lateral have been employed, but for the most part, they are attended by considerable time and expense.
One of the most common systems employed in the case of stoppage is to apply a high pressure source to the lateral by connecting a hose to a high pressure water main and extending the hose into the basement trap or into the vent pipe to flush or blow out the obstruction. If the stoppage is not too severe, this may sometimes be effective, but in the case of a more severe stoppage, the high pressure may pack or wedge the obstruction more firmly in the pipe.
Reaming or routing tools are also sometimes used. Such devices, however, are difficult to handle and operate. They are, therefore, used only by professionals which obviously increases the cost of having a sewer line cleared.
Located between the property and the main sewer line, in most cases, is a standpipe or riser. This is normally located adjacent the street curb and is commonly referred to as a curb vent. The curb vent is a vertical pipe that goes from the sewer lateral and extends upwardly to or above ground level. The curb vent allows for overflow in the event that there is a backup in the lateral between the curb vent and the house. This prevents the backup from going back into the house.
The curb vent also allows for access to the lateral. This may be necessary, for example, to clear the lateral by inserting a snake or rooter or the like either toward the house or toward the sewer main. It has also been known to insert a plunger down into the curb vent to clear a blockage. By quickly forcing the plunger down into the curb vent, the force of the moving water can frequently clear the blockage.
Known curb vent stack plungers are comprised of a long pole of an inch or so in diameter and about five or six feet long. A rubberized fabric disc having an outer diameter which is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the curb vent stack is secured to the bottom end of the pole. The disc functions as the plunger as the pole is forced downwardly into the curb vent.
While known curb vent plungers have been somewhat successful, they also suffer from a number of deficiencies. First, the outer edge of the disc can sometimes come out of contact with the wall of the curb vent stack. This can occur when the pole moves toward the wall and is not in axial alignment with the pipe, that is, when the pipe is maintained perfectly vertical. This makes the plunging action less effective and sometimes allows water and sewerage to splash upwardly and out of the top of the vent. Again, this occurs because the disc is not perpendicular to the vent stack and the compressed sewer water slips passed and up the bore usually spraying the user in the face.
Secondly, known curb plungers can damage the lateral. The disc is normally connected to the pipe with a bolt, with the head of the bolt becoming the lowermost part of the plunger. When the known curb plunger is forced downwardly, the bolt frequently strikes the bottom surface of the interior of the lateral. If enough force is applied, the lateral can break requiring costly repairs.
There is, therefore, a need for a curb vent stack plunger that is effective and that will not cause damage to the sewer lateral.